So here we are. Set down in Milan Malpensa (by the way, it translates to "swampy place," not "bad thoughts"). A little groggy but not too bad - the school arranged a pick-up from Chieri-based taxi driver (and new friend) Franco. For ultra-light packers like us, this is a lot of luggage to contend with...pro tip: the Sky Cap guys at Hartsfield can be sweet-talked to let you go a teensy bit over the weight limit.
We'll be living out of these four suitcases for the next 8-10 weeks, as our shipment does not arrive until September.
Franco taught us perhaps our most important lesson on the drive to Turin - how to order coffee at a busy Italian 'stand-up' coffee bar you might find at an autostrada rest stop (or IKEA!). You first order and pay at the register, then take your scrontino (receipt) to the barista (barista, but you probably knew that one), who will quickly and expertly make it for you. Then you just drink it at the bar, and you're on your way!
The school has set us up in the lovely Residence Sacchi in Turin for our first week. It's part of the administrative process (gonna try to avoid the word "bureaucracy" here if I can!) when you first arrive in Italy for an extended stay - we have to establish residency in Turin. After a week we'll move into our apartment in Chieri...and establish residency there.
OK, Day 1 on the ground - time to engage in the "administrative process!" Thankfully Valeria from IST HR is here to help. Learning a lot about the way things are done here in Italy:
1) There are, let's say, several steps to getting paperwork processed here to become a resident - and all of them appear to take place in different buildings.
2) Lines are inevitable, and often long and serpentine. Or sometimes the queuing is alleviated by a ticket system (like ordering chocolate babka at a NYC deli). Either way you're going to wait to get anyone's attention. Fortunately, everyone we have encountered, once it's our turn, has been super polite and helpful.
3) There's a fair amount of automation but clearly there could be a lot more. Great chance for an Economics lesson on Capital vs Labor - there appear to be a lot of jobs here that only exist because of the lack of automation, and it's going to be slow to change. As Upton Sinclair famously said,
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it."
4) Final thought - a bit of a 180 - the Post Offices here ("Poste Italiane") offer an amazing scope of services: all sorts of money transfers, residency permits, pre-paid phone cards, and help with government transfer payments. They take advantage of the vast infrastructure that is needed to support the postal service, to bring more day-to-day services to people - especially valuable in more remote areas. Something to think about, U.S.A.?
Alright, enough with the paperwork - let's go explore this town!